The Last Days of Disco Page #4

We've got to get an apartment of our own.

Do you know how long it takes

to become an editor?

- You mean associate editor.

- Yeah. Associate editor.

[ Woman]

Oh, yes.

What's the minimum amount of time

to become an associate editor?

- How many years?

- It's hard to say.

- Approximately.

- Maybe four years.

But more than years.

Before you can become...

an associate editor,

you have to have a best seller.

How can you be sure

you'll get a best seller?

- You cannot.

- But what if you don't find one?

- You have to.

- Show them the outline.

You might want to see this.

It's the Scott Meredith best seller outline.

Create sympathetic characters

with whom readers identify.

Give them problems.

Make these problems big.

- Could I photocopy this?

- Yes, but I need it back.

- I'd like a copy too.

- That stuff is such crap.

This does describe a lot of best sellers.

It's true.

- It's completely formulaic.

- Of course it's formulaic. It's a formula.

That's why I prefer nonfiction.

[ Woman] It's good you want to be

an editor so much. In this era of television...

you are devoted to the printed word.

Actually, ultimately, I'd like to work in television,

but right now what I need's a raise.

Alice and I have been looking at apartments,

but we can't afford one on what we get as assistants.

[ Snickers ]

That's so comical.

What?

That girls like you

really worry about paying the rent.

Aren't your fathers heavily subsidizing

your living expenses with big allowances?

They're not big at all.

In a few years, you'll marry some

incredibly rich corporate lawyers.

It's not as if you really worry about

paying the rent like the rest of us.

- Oh, you worry about paying the rent?

- Yeah.

Then you're way ahead of us,

'cause we don't even have an apartment.

What if, in a few years,

we don't marry some corporate lawyer?

What if we marry some meatball,

like you?

I mean, not you personally,

but someone with...

similarly low socioeconomic prospects.

Can you believe that?

They really think that way.

Disco sucks.

What a dope.

Would you ever go out with anyone

who worked in the company?

Fortunately,

there's absolutely no temptation.

[ Woman]

Charlotte, telephone. It's a man.

- Hello?

-[ Man] Hi.

Oh, hi. We were thinking of having

some people for dinner Saturday night...

and wanted to know

if you could come.

- About 7:
30.

- Okay. Where?

- Actually, I'll have to call you back with that.

- Okay.

- Yeah.

- Great.

Thanks. Okay. Bye.

That was Jimmy Steinway.

He's coming for dinner Saturday night.

You called him?

I thought you said you could never be

interested in anyone who worked in advertising.

Well, no one could

say something like that seriously.

It was obviously a joke.

Anyway, it's not like it's a date or anything.

He's invited as part of a group.

It's really important

there be more group social life.

Not just all this ferocious pairing off.

You like Tom. Invite him.

We don't even have an apartment.

How can we have a dinner party?

Well, it's another incentive to get one.

Does the Lexington Avenue Express

stop at 86th Street?

- I think so.

- We better hurry.

Do you really think we know each other

well enough to room together?

Well, maybe that's good.

It's not just that we don't

know each other well.

I'm not even sure we really like each other.

That's okay.

You know, Alice, I'm not so much

of a b*tch as I might seem.

You'll find Holly's a little sensitive

about her intelligence.

She's dumb?

Harvard guys, even the ones that seem

reasonably cool on the outside...

are all essentially wimps

and bookworms on the inside.

They love being seen

out with this lovely girl.

But, after a date of two, rather than risk rejection,

they pretend to drop her...

going around complaining about

how dull she was.

Is she dull?

A little, but that's not the point.

Once you start worrying

about something like that, you're lost.

Holly was devastated.

She stopped dating entirely...

and weekends either went home

or just hung around the library at Pine Manor.

What do you think you're doing?

Shove off, Mac!

Deviant.

Creep. Off.

So, I wouldn't develop

any illusions about Harvard guys.

They can be amazing creeps too.

- Well, there you are.

- Hi.

Um, our friend still isn't here. Oh.

[ Chattering ]

Sorry. I forgot which way the numbers went

on the East Side.

It's what's called a railroad apartment.

It's, uh, long and rather narrow...

like a railroad car.

Each room opens directly onto the other.

It's very nice.

[ Woman]

The closets are here.

This is the other bedroom.

The bathroom is back here at this end.

And the kitchen.

So, to get to the bathroom

from the living room...

you have to clomp through

both bedrooms?

Well, there are two outside doors.

So, in theory...

you can use the exterior hall to go between

the kitchen and the living room.

Huh.

Even with two roommates,

the, um, layout is a bit awkward.

- You can't afford something bigger?

- We all work in book publishing.

- Couldn't your parents help?

- They already are.

So, what do you think?

I think it's really nice.

Isn't the layout a bit awkward?

Well, I think we should take it.

Here you go.

Ifs good to see bourgeois girls

building up a s weal'.

- Why is that good to see?

- You live around here?

- There was a Guild meeting at Asphalt Green.

- A Guild meeting?

The Newspaper Guild is organizing

clerical and editorial staff for book publishing.

I'm supposed to organize our department.

Oh, my God.

We're all gonna lose our jobs.

You should support this.

You were just complaining how lousy the pay is.

Are you rooming with them?

That's gonna be really tough.

- Aren't we behind schedule?

- Nope.

This recipe is extremely fast.

[ Intercom Buzzes]

[ Clears Throat]

Hello?

-[ Man] Uh, it's Dan.

- Dan?

Hi. Come up.

Dan from your department.

I invited him.

Departmental Dan?

You know, he went to Harvard.

So?

Yeah, I've gotta meet some clients at 10:00

and get them into the club.

- [Cork Pops]

- Tom isn't coming?

If he does, he'll be very late.

Isn't this what they call

a railroad apartment?

Uh-huh.

People always say how terrible they are,

but it seems pretty nice.

Well, the layout's not so good.

It's amazing the little things in life one doesn't

appreciate until they're missing. Such as hallways.

These apartments were

actually planned in the last century...

as tenement housing

for working-class families.

Now all the yuppie roommate combos

are crowding them out.

Well, that's just tough.

- [ Disco, Faint]

- [ Chattering ]

[Man ] Now where you going?

Come on. We just wanna -

- Hey, Rocky. Come on.

- Come on. Come on. Come on. Settle. Settle.

Settle.

[Arguing ]

Fight.

- [ Crowd Gasps ]

- Rumble.

- Get this guy.

- Get him.

[ Chattering ]

Actually, I was thinking I'd go home.

- What?

- You should come.

I don't know.

I'm not really a disco type.

Well, who is?

I probably wouldn't get in anyway.

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